A candlelight vigil was held for a 23-year-old Detroit man following a shooting during an undercover vehicle theft investigation early Monday morning on Detroit’s west side. The family talked to MDN and shared their side of what happened.
The shooting unfolded around 4:40 a.m. in the area of Murray Hill, near 8 Mile and Southfield. MSP says troopers with the department’s Auto Theft Team were conducting an undercover operation when the man opened fire, prompting troopers to return fire and fatally shoot him.
The trooper was taken to the hospital and remains in serious but stable condition.
Michigan State Police initially stated the man exited a home and opened fire, but later clarified he had exited a vehicle — a Chevrolet Cobalt — before the shooting. Authorities have not confirmed whether the man was the subject of the investigation or if he knew the troopers were law enforcement officers.
Family members have identified the man as Martez Hunter, a 23-year-old Detroit resident and graduate of Cody High School. They say Hunter had just returned home from work at an Amazon facility in Pontiac and went to a gas station before arriving back at his house.
According to the family, Hunter was walking from his home to his vehicle when he was suddenly confronted by men with guns — plainclothes troopers in unmarked cars. Believing he was being robbed, the family says, Hunter pulled his lawfully owned firearm and fired.
The troopers then returned fire, fatally wounding him.
Hunter’s family says he was a licensed CPL holder, and the car belonged to him.
They also insist he had no involvement in any car theft and was not the subject of any investigation. MSP has not confirmed his connection to the operation. The incident remains under investigation.
A candlelight vigil was held for him by close family members tonight. MSP has not provided any updates as of 10:30 p.m. Monday.
